"If the snowshoe fits, run in it. So say the gang at Running Fit
in Traverse City, including the sadistic - cruelly sadistic - Jeff
Gaft.
It was late January, time for the third annual Bigfoot 5K and
10K snowshoe races. The event attracted the elite - the 10K
was a qualifier for the national championships in Salt Lake
City - and the polar opposite of elite, like me.
The Web site promised that "No experience is necessary.
Snowshoeing is just running/walking/stumbling." And I am
living proof of the truth."

"TRAVERSE CITY (1/24/04) -- Fifty-six entrants from several
states vied in this year's Bigfoot Boogie 10K regional
snowshoe-running championship. Another 106 ran the 5K.
Both races took place at Timber Ridge Resort.
At the start command, the field sprinted down a packed ski
trail for about 200 yards. Then the flagged route turned and
headed cross country through two feet of powdery snow.
Here's where the going got rough, as runners labored to
keep their balance while trying to maintain speed. Now and
then the route swung back onto the packed trail, allowing
stronger runners to pass others who were faltering."

"Telemark at Crystal Mountain
As I reported in an earlier OnTheSnow Midwest item, telemark skiing is showing steady growth in the Midwest. You see a lot of the free-heelers on Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota downhill slopes. I'm not sure if the trend is the same in the lower Midwest, but it's becoming more prominent around the Great Lakes downhill ski areas. Crystal Mountain held a Telemark Festival Weekend the end of February, and I attended one of their free clinics to try the sport for the first time. I won't say it was my last time to try telemark skiing, but I'm sure not going to give my downhill equipment away."

"The annual 24-hour mountain bike race at Snowshoe Mountain resort attracts serious cyclists from around the country.
The atmosphere will be more laid back for an upcoming 24-hour race on the mountain's snow-covered slopes.
On March 20-21, the resort will hold its first 24-hour ski race.
From noon on March20 to noon on March21, relay teams of two, four or six skiers will try to make as many individual trips as possible from the top to the bottom of a preset course at the resort's Silver Creek area.
It's not like competitors will be bombing down the slopes like Bode Miller on every run."

"If, for some hare-brained reason, you ever decide to ski all 16 areas in Montana in one trip, you're in for a long drive. I know because
I attempted it once. It took two weeks on 1,500 miles of icy roads. To reach a similar number of ski areas in Colorado, you could just drive four hours from Denver to Aspen, stopping at resorts along the way. On my epic Montana journey, I drove more hours than I skied, caught a mean cold in one of the dozen dive motels where I stayed, wore out a knee brace and wrecked a Suburban. It was all worth it.
Montana still has skiing the way it was meant to be: big, friendly, wild and invigorating."

"While trekking through snow-covered terrain on a cold, dark night may not be appealing to some, for a small group of 13 it was the perfect Friday night activity.
Though Friday night's full moon was the guest of honor for the "Moonlight Snowshoe Hike," Luna was rarely visible, as she was hidden by a sky full of clouds. Despite her absence, high spirits, hot chocolate and beautiful scenery were present as hikers of all abilities embarked on the two-hour trek just off Old Snowbasin Road.
"I was really impressed with the group of hikers we had," said Rebecca Ciccone, a guide from Weber State University's Wilderness Recreation Center."

"Huntington Beach-based surf-inspired apparel maker Quiksilver Inc. agreed to acquire privately held DC Shoes Inc. in a deal worth approximately $88 million in cash and stock.
DC Shoes, based in Vista, designs and distributes footwear and apparel inspired by action sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. the company had more than $100 million in sales in 2003. Quiksilver reported $975 million in revenues in 2003.
The terms of the agreement include Quiksilver paying $57 million in cash for the company, issuing 1.6 million restricted shares of Quiksilver common stock and assuming approximately $10 million in debt."

"Searchers were dispatched three times to aid skiers and snowboarders in Ogden Canyon, and another search was made for snowboarders in Farmington Canyon.
People "need to use common sense and stick to the main, groomed, in-boundaries part of the ski resort once it's snowing and foggy," Weber County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Malan said. "Everybody knew there were big storms coming."
A woman suffered a cut on her head Saturday after she was caught in an avalanche in Coldwater Canyon and hit a tree. The resort's ski patrol determined it was too dangerous to enter the avalanche-prone canyon, and instead guided the skiers from the canyon by phone."

"Saturday afternoon was a cold one, but if you'd have seen the excited children renovating the greenhouse at Fort Missoula, you might have thought it was growing season already.
While temperatures dipped into the 30s and the wind nipped bitterly, the greenhouse - exposed to the elements on both ends - hustled and bustled with about 10 C.S. Porter Middle School students and 20 adult volunteers. They spread gravel on the inside and padded through fresh snow outside to tear down old wooden structures and make way for new ones."

"If the snowshoe fits, run in it. So say the gang at Running Fit
in Traverse City, including the sadistic - cruelly sadistic - Jeff
Gaft.
It was late January, time for the third annual Bigfoot 5K and
10K snowshoe races. The event attracted the elite - the 10K
was a qualifier for the national championships in Salt Lake
City - and the polar opposite of elite, like me.
The Web site promised that "No experience is necessary.
Snowshoeing is just running/walking/stumbling." And I am
living proof of the truth."

"TRAVERSE CITY (1/24/04) -- Fifty-six entrants from several
states vied in this year's Bigfoot Boogie 10K regional
snowshoe-running championship. Another 106 ran the 5K.
Both races took place at Timber Ridge Resort.
At the start command, the field sprinted down a packed ski
trail for about 200 yards. Then the flagged route turned and
headed cross country through two feet of powdery snow.
Here's where the going got rough, as runners labored to
keep their balance while trying to maintain speed. Now and
then the route swung back onto the packed trail, allowing
stronger runners to pass others who were faltering."

"Telemark at Crystal Mountain
As I reported in an earlier OnTheSnow Midwest item, telemark skiing is showing steady growth in the Midwest. You see a lot of the free-heelers on Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota downhill slopes. I'm not sure if the trend is the same in the lower Midwest, but it's becoming more prominent around the Great Lakes downhill ski areas. Crystal Mountain held a Telemark Festival Weekend the end of February, and I attended one of their free clinics to try the sport for the first time. I won't say it was my last time to try telemark skiing, but I'm sure not going to give my downhill equipment away."

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